Why can't I stop working even when I'm exhausted?

You are exhausted and you keep going anyway. Rest is right there, and still you cannot reach for it. That is not laziness or lack of willpower. It is a sign that the work has become the thing that holds you together, and stopping feels like letting go of the rope. But a body that is never allowed to stop does not perform better. It performs worse, slowly, until something breaks. The exhaustion you are pushing through is not a wall to power past. It is your own limit speaking plainly, and it will keep raising its voice until you listen. Tonight, stop at a set time, even mid-task, even with things unfinished. Leave them. Let yourself feel the discomfort of an undone list. The world will still be standing in the morning, and you will have proven to yourself that stopping is survivable. That proof is what you need most right now.